A five-year-old girl from Rhyl used her newfound confidence and skills to help assist her toddler sister after a fall.
Felicity Kent was out with her Mum, Jenny, 37, Sister Juliet, 2, and their Nan, Janet, when Juliet fell and hit her head.
Jenny said: “I was out shopping to get a new phone and popped into a phone shop while my mum looked after the girls.
“When I came out, I could see Juliet on the floor, trying to cry, but couldn’t.”
Felicity, the older of the two sisters, calmly explained she thought Juliet had hit her head and had lost responsiveness.
Quick-thinking Jenny sprang into action, putting her first aid skills, which she had learned just weeks before, into use.
Jenny quickly realised Juliet had gone into shock from the grey colour of her face and swiftly elevated her legs – helping essential blood flow back to Juliet’s brain and other vital organs.
“Her colour started to change back to pink and a wave of relief washed over me.
“It wasn’t until a passer-by, who happened to be a nurse, suggested getting Juliet checked over, did we think about calling an ambulance.
“The call handler told me to monitor Juliet’s breathing, and it was only then I released just how serious the situation was; that’s when the panic set in,” said Jenny.
All the while Felicity, who did not speak until the age of three, remained calm, comforting both her mother and her Nan.
Jenny said: “Felicity was diagnosed with ‘glue ear’ from an early age and her hearing was really affected.
“We could have never imagined she would be able to communicate the way she did, especially in such a stressful situation. I can’t thank her enough for being able to help me help Juliet.”
Juliet was taken to hospital and was checked over where it was found she had no lasting injuries and was discharged later that day.
Both Felicity and Jenny joined their local St John Cymru in Rhyl in November 2019 where they learned their first aid skills.
Jenny had learned how to treat for shock just a week before the incident.
Jenny said: “Felicity was really shy before joining Badgers and her confidence and communication skills have grown so much.
“Had she not been able to speak to me on that day, I would never had known what had happened to Juliet and it would have taken me much longer to give her the appropriate first aid – the rest doesn’t bare thinking about.”
“I’m so incredibly grateful to everyone who helped us that day, especially the nurse who stopped and the emergency services. I also would like to thank St John Cymru for training both myself and Felicity in first aid.
“Without this, we wouldn’t have known what to do and the outcome could have been very different,” Jenny added.
St John Cymru is Wales’ leading first aid charity and their mission is to have a first aider in every home in Wales. The charity has two youth programmes, Badgers (ages 5-10) and Cadets (11+) which help develop the skills, confidence and personal development of children and young people across Wales.
If you feel inspired by Felicity’s story and would like to get involved at your local St John Cymru or for first aid advice go to www.stjohn.wales or call 0300 2011 999.
